Livingston Municipal Court meets every Wednesday evening, with traffic pre-trial conferences at 5 p.m., and traffic trials at 6 p.m., and every Thursday with first appearances at 9 a.m. and trials at 10 a.m.

Certain tickets can be paid through the Violations Bureau while others will require you to appear before the judge. If your ticket is checked “Court Appearance Required” or the penalty amount is not listed on the statewide or local violations bureau schedules, you must appear in Court on the date listed on the complaint. You can also check this by visiting the website listed on the back of the ticket. It will tell you if you need to appear in Court or can just pay the ticket.

If your ticket is not marked “Court Appearance Required”, you may enter your plea of Not Guilty by either calling the Court at 973-535-7970 or appearing at the Violations Bureau. Court staff will then schedule your case for a conference or a trial date depending on the charge.

Once you are assigned a Court date, all requests to adjourn that date must be made in writing to the judge. They may either be faxed to 973-535-7997 or mailed to Livingston Municipal Court, 357 S. Livingston Avenue, Livingston, NJ 07039. An adjournment is not automatically granted by sending a letter. You must still appear unless you have received confirmation from Court staff the date has been changed.

For certain charges with consequences of magnitude such as a large fine, loss of driving privilege, or incarceration you may eligible for the Public Defender if you are financially indigent. If you can afford to hire your own attorney, you can call either the Essex County Bar Association or the New Jersey Bar Association for a referral. Court staff cannot recommend an attorney to you.

If you disagree with the judge’s decision, you have the right to appeal your case to the Superior Court within 20 days of conviction. To do so you must file notice with the Court and order a transcript of the proceeding. A convenient packet is available from the New Jersey Judiciary that explains the process step by step and provides all the necessary forms. It may be downloaded online.